


The Jealousy of the Time Lord

by jsoap



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms
Genre: Cats, Doctor Who References, F/M, Fluff, Fluffy Ending, Tenth Doctor Era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-20
Updated: 2016-07-20
Packaged: 2018-07-25 13:07:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7533889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jsoap/pseuds/jsoap
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Tenth Doctor takes Rose to an uninhabited planet to enjoy a peaceful evening picnic, a relaxing break from their normal dangerous adventures. But what happens when an unexpected furry friend crashes the party?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>    *Note - it's a kitteh</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Jealousy of the Time Lord

“It’s completely...silent.”  
“That’s the beauty of this place, Rose.” said the Doctor, toeing the bluish-green grass with the tip of his faded red Converse. “Completely uninhabited. There've been groups out here to investigate it, but they decided to just leave it unclaimed. It’s an odd mutual agreement in this solar system, just to leave this place untouched. People come, take pictures, sometimes stay a bit, then leave. There’s a rare vacationer here, but no houses or hotels built. You come here, you’ve brought your own portable means of sustainment. Some miraculous restraint it must take for them, to not pave over something pretty, like it seems so instinctual to nowadays for most species.”

The Doctor inhaled deeply with his eyes closed, as if replaying what he’d just said inside his head.

“Been to this place once or twice before by m’self. Makes a nice place to read, it’s natural light is perfect for it. I love the TARDIS, she’s beautiful, but there’s times you just need to be alone, out in the open air.”  
“I thought you never stopped running, Doctor.”  
“Every doctor needs a day off now and then.”

Rose Tyler gripped the his hand and led him out into the open field, peering into the pink sky littered with cotton candy-like clouds. It was beautiful.

“So, Doctor, I move we eat dinner here. A picnic of sorts. I say we go in the TARDIS kitchen and get some good chips. Like our first date, where you didn’t pay.”  
“Dredging up old memories now, are we?   
“Come on, cheapie.”

Moments later Rose was spreading a plush blue blanket over a soft cushion of grass. She plopped down and patted the spot next to her. The Doctor laid down, bright brown eyes gazing up at the lavender-colored stars against the deep blue night sky. “Seems only moments ago the sun was just beginning to set,” whispered Rose. 

“That’s just it. You know the saying, ‘time flies when you’re having fun’? That’s how it works here. This beauty gets in your head. When you’re not consciously thinking about the passage of time here, the sun and moon cycles speed up. It’s odd. No other visitors have noticed, or cared to, but obviously I’m a bit more fussy.”

“This place is beautiful, Doctor,” said Rose, snuggling into him. “Thank you for this.”

A small meow piped up from behind them. Rose turned around abruptly, disoriented by the noise on the so called “uninhabited” planet. A small kitten poked its head around the TARDIS, staring into Rose’s eyes with innocence. It’s ears were perked up, and Rose marveled at it’s long, flowing tail. It was mostly dark grey, with small white streaks scattered over its body. A quiet ‘ugh’ was muttered from behind Rose, but the Doctor was silenced with a swift glare from her.

“A kitten!” Rose whisper-shouted, conscious of its timidness.  
“Just what we need,” groaned the Doctor. “A cat.”  
“That’s kitten, thank you. But...wait, I thought you said this place was completely uninhabited. Why would a kitten be here?”  
“It’s possible a traveler could’ve left it here. Had to have been recent, there’s not anything for this cat to hunt and eat. Look, you can count his ribs...if he’d been here any longer, he’d have starved by now.”  
“We have to give him something to eat, Doctor, get him fed and washed up and taken care of! He’s probably scared out of his wits and we’re his beacon of hope!”

By this point, the tiny feline had sat contently a few feet away from the blanket, staring hopefully into the Doctor’s reluctant brown eyes. With a heavy sigh, he stood, scooped the cat up, and placed him in Rose’s arms. She didn’t see the disgusted sneer he shot at the cat as he peered triumphantly over Rose’s shoulder, being carried to the TARDIS.

“So,” Rose began after plopping the cat down in the sink in one of the multiple bathrooms in the Doctor’s blue box, “eat first or wash?”  
“Eat, I s’pose. Let him get dirty before we give him a clean.”

He came back minutes later with cooked fish and a small roasted chicken, as well as a gallon of milk and a bowl. He poured the milk, clumsily spilling onto the bathroom counter, and placed some chicken and fish in front of the kitten. The cat sniffed the former tentatively before smacking it away, straight into the Doctor’s face. Rose let out a loud snort before falling to the ground where she lay rolling in laughter. The Doctor’s eyes lit with anger and his face turned bright red, but the cat was unfazed as he purred and rubbed his body against the sleeve of his pinstriped suit. He sauntered to the fish and took large bites, pausing only to breathe. 

“Quite a selective little one, eh?” the Doctor growled through gritted teeth, using every ounce of his will not to explode in anger.  
“Calm yourself,” Rose said, eyes still wet from the tears that laughter had brought. “He’s just got that arrogance that comes with youth, that’s all,” she said, barely managing to stifle a giggle. She picked pieces of chicken from the Doctor’s hair and flicked cat dander from his sleeve.

“This is why I don’t like cats. So shrewd, think they know everything, that they’re so great…” his voice faded as some of the fiery colors left his face. He knew that ranting would get him nowhere, he saw the love and adoration in Rose’s face when she laid eyes on the fuzzy thing. He longed for it. He wanted her to want him. He took a fleeting second to reflect - was he...jealous..? Jealous of this young, scrappy, furry little basta-

 

“Look at him, Doctor. I think he’s finished.”

The fish lay in tattered remains, flecks of it embedded in the greasy hair on the cat’s face, and the bowl of milk nearly emptied. The cat sat, ears perked up, it’s eyes full of life.

“Let’s give him a wash, get him to sleep somewhere. Out of our hair.”  
“If you want, I can take him, I think you two might strangle each other if you’re in the same room any longer. He may not have opposable thumbs, but he’ll find a way.”

He let out a small laugh and a nod before exiting the room. He was relieved he could pout in peace. He nearly found...comfort?...in his firm annoyance, and really played into it by leaning against the control room console with his arms crossed and a slightly jutted-out bottom lip. He furrowed his brow, but he knew he couldn’t hold up for long. He was annoyed by the cat for sure, but the annoyance didn’t overpower his jealousy. He felt a painful twang in his hearts, and a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. The real problem in this, the root of the bitter emotions, it was Rose. He wanted her, alright, but he felt insecure in his doubts of the feeling being mutual. She was too young, bright, innocent...and he was aged, his eyes had seen too much, his heart weighed too heavily. He yearned for her, he wanted her to tell him she needed him. He knew he needed her. Was it possible that she saw him as nothing more than what he once considered her, a companion? Tears came to his eyes, but he heard approaching footsteps and blinked them away.

Rose entered the room, holding a damp kitten in a soft towel. She sat down next to the Doctor, the kitten clinging with his tiny claws to the towel. She rubbed his fuzzy head in a feeble attempt to dry him, but she quickly decided to just let him run around, his quiet mews accompanied by the muffled sounds of his paws hitting the floor. 

“So, I can tell you’ve been jealous of Fuzz here.”  
“You’ve got a name for him now?” he asked, the hurt and annoyance clearly evident in his voice.  
“God, can you relax? He’s just a kitten. I say we should take him back to Earth, give him to someone.”   
“You’re right. Anything to get him out. My sinuses are on the fritz. Grab, erm, Fuzz, it’ll be bumpy.”

 

Minutes later they walked out of the TARDIS, blinking in the setting sun. A man, looking to be no younger than 50, with intensely graying hair, was walking down a nearby street. He was quietly whistling, and a strong sense told Rose that he could use a kitten named Fuzz.  
“Excuse me, sir, what’s your name?” Rose asked, trying her best to hide the squirming bundle.  
“Erm, Wilfred, why?”  
“Do you want a kitten? He’s got all his shots for the first 6 months.” Rose turned back to see a smiling Doctor give her a wink, remembering the hurried health scans and administered shots in the TARDIS just moments before. “He’s not house trained yet, but he’s, uh, working on it. He’s real sweet, and he needs a home, sir.”

The Doctor stifled a sarcastic scoff at “sweet”.

“Well, I dunno the first thing about taking care of a cat.”

Rose lifted Fuzz out of the towel he was contained in and lifted him to the light, where the sun glinted off his wide eyes. Rose took note of Wilfred’s restrained smile and knew he was trying to convince himself to decline the offer to take him. Suddenly, he stood up straight with a beaming smile.

“Y’know, I’ll take him! See, my grand daughter, she’d love him. Little red-headed thing, loves absolutely anything covered in fur.”

He picked up the bundle, thanked Rose and got in his car, taking care to be gentle when he placed Fuzz in the passenger seat. He raced off with a radiantly happy expression plastered on his face.

“Well,” said Rose, turning to the Doctor, “it’s done, Jealous. You’ve got my attention now.”  
“You wanna go somewhere before bed? America, 1776? Ooh, I could get us into the rallies directly following the signing of the Declaration. Or, a planet called Fizz. Literally just called Fizz, it’s mostly made up of soda. Amazing.”  
“I say...we just relax. We’ve been dealing with the cat , let’s just get in the TARDIS and...wait! We never ate our chips! They’re back on that planet!  
“Right! Well, our next daring adventure is retrieving the chips.”

Moments later they were back on their blue blanket on the planet of solitude. The Doctor pushed a chip into Rose’s mouth, then ate a handful. She lay face up, her head resting on his stomach. He lay face up as well, one arm behind his head and another stroking Rose’s hair and offering periodic chip refreshments. She rolled over so that her chin was planted on his stomach, her eyes looking up at him in wonder. She put a hand to the side of his face and brushed his unruly bangs out of his eyes. “I don’t know what I’d do without this, traveling and all. And honestly, sharing it with you is the best part. So...I guess...I dunno what I’d do without you.” She smiled softly. “Thanks for...everything.”

His hearts skipped a beat. Tears came back to his eyes, but this time not in painful longing, but silent relief. He stroked her cheek. His voice, nearly breaking, came back in a gentle whisper.  
“Oh, Rose.”


End file.
